Jones attended middle school at Cabin John Middle School in Potomac, Maryland, where he played basketball. As a senior at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Jones was an All-Met, All-Western Region, and an All-County pick, and also was ranked the fifth best linebacker prospect in the Atlantic Coast Region despite missing most of the regular season with a ruptured disc he injured working out for Penn State earlier in the summer. Jones was also a varsity wrestler in high school, as well as a member of his high school's track team.

At the University of Michigan, Jones was a three time All-Big Ten honoree. As a sophomore, Jones started nine games at linebacker and finished second on the team with 90 tackles and six sacks, playing alongside Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson on Michigan's 1997 national champion squad. As a junior in 1998, Jones started at linebacker and finished with 72 tackles. Jones moved to strong side linebacker as a senior in 1999, and finished second on the team with 81 tackles.

On July 6, 2007, Jones signed with the New Orleans Saints, where he was thought to be able to push for a starting job. Jones, however, was released on September 1, 2007 during final roster cutdowns.[2]

On September 19, 2007 Jones signed a one-year contract with the Bengals. In the 2008 offseason, Jones signed a 3 year contract to return to the Bengals. Following the 2010 season, Jones' contract expired and he was not issued a new contract, so he became a Free Agent.

Jones is the star of Dhani Tackles the Globe, a series for the Travel Channel in which he learns how to play international sports that are unknown to most Americans. For example, in the first season he played rugby union for English club, Blackheath.[4] The show had a successful 1st season and began airing a second season on April 19, 2010.

In addition to his prowess as a professional athlete, Jones has shown a variety of skills off the field. Jones founded a company that sells high-end bowties, and he also writes movie reviews and commentary for Page2 on ESPN.com.

Jones is also an avid bicyclist, using his fixed-gear bicycle to commute to practices and games throughout the year.[10] He also participated in the cycling leg of the Durham Doughman Challenge on Travel Channel's Man v. Food. The challenge was a team quadrathlon consisting of running, swimming, cycling and food eating.

On June 7, 2011, Jones' book, The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey, was released. The book talks about his experiences in football, travel, and life in general.[11]

Jones is committed to several Cincinnati, OH charities and nonprofits. Among other positions, he serves on the boards of Breakthrough Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Museum.[12] Jones founded a philanthropic organization, BowTie Cause, in 2010.[13][14]